Meet Cute
by amadeusofnohr
Summary: Sumia's day starts with a broken alarm clock and all the joys of running late, but it improves exponentially when an attractive new face shows up in the diner she works at. Also, there's horses. (SumiSully modern AU one-shot)


**Shy / Butterfly**

Sumia's day is off to a terrible start. Her 4 am alarm doesn't go off, and it's only thanks to a year of getting up this early that she wakes up only half an hour late. Of course, that still means she has negative time to spare. She crams her feet into her riding boots and brushes her teeth in the car, thankful that she always packs her waitress uniform in advance.

She pulls into Shepherd's Farm only seconds before Belfire would've alerted the entire neighborhood to her imminent starvation. If you're even a minute late to feeding her, she kicks up a storm like no other. The Shepherds have offered more than once to take over morning feeding, but Sumia already feels guilty that they're letting Belfire board here basically free of charge. She doesn't have it in her to accept any more favors, no matter how nice Phila and Emmeryn are.

There's no time for a morning walk or ride, so Bel will just have to make do until this afternoon when Sumia actually has a free moment. Usually Bel gets her exercise from the lessons Phila leads in the afternoon, with Bel as one of the horses the riders can use. That's officially why they don't charge her anything for staying, but Sumia knows that rightfully she should still owe _something_. There aren't lessons every day, including today. A farrier is scheduled to come by this afternoon, so all lessons were cancelled. Even though Emmeryn and Phila are already rich and retired, Sumia swears to pay them back someday.

Bel nickers her thanks as Sumia fills up her feed bucket. She pats the horse on her neck, combing her fingers through her mane. It would look nice in braids, but she hasn't had the time lately. Between two jobs and her night classes at the community college, she's lucky she has the time to see Bel at all during the week. She fits in a few more pats and some kisses before she has to return the dirty bucket and get going, waving at Phila as she sprints out the barn doors.

Her car screeches into the diner parking lot five minutes before opening. She grabs her uniform and scrambles inside to clock-in and change, cursing the shirt for being buttoned and her hair for being tangled. Everything is smoothed out in time for her to put a smile on her face and begin making her rounds to the customers.

The regulars are already seated, poring over the daily paper or tapping away at phones.

"Mornin' Libra," she calls brightly, setting down her tray lined with eight empty mugs and filling one with steaming coffee. Libra takes it off with a cool nod, too engrossed in the paper to say anything. She scoops the tray back up, balancing it with one hand and holding the coffee pot with the other.

She twirls around and starts to head to the next booth when suddenly she feels her foot catch on the ground. _Not again!_ _That's the fifth time this month! _Her future flashes before her. An angry boss, wasted coffee, broken mugs, and another stained uniform. She closes her eyes with a whimper, braced for the inevitable.

"Woah there," Mumbles an unfamiliar voice into her ear, an arm wrapping around her waist to steady her. Her eyes fly open to meet the gaze of an unfamiliar woman, a tall woman, with red eyes and redder hair. It feels like there's a thousand butterflies trying to escape from her stomach. Her face flushes and she tries to say something, but words won't come out. There's an awkward pause, and the brows in front of her furrow with concern.

"You alright there?" Sumia finally wrangles back control of her body and jerks away, bowing profusely.

"Yes! Thank you very much!" It shouldn't be possible for there to be a stranger in a town with a population as small as this one's, yet she's sure she'd remember someone as stunning as this. The stranger rubs the back of her head sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just here for some grub. Can I, uh, seat myself?" Sometimes truckers stop by on their way through, but she doesn't quite give off that sort of vibe. Sumia puts her work smile back on, though she can't help it if it's far more genuine than her previous one.

"Of course! I'll be right with you!" Unfortunately, as usual, the morning rush is so busy that she can't spare the time to do anything more than take the woman's order (a black coffee and an extra large breakfast hash) professionally. When things finally settle down, the woman's already gone, receipt and cash sitting beside neatly stacked dirty dishes. There's a note scrawled at the bottom of the receipt in messy handwriting.

"_Name's Sully. Hope to see you around :)" _

_And_ she left a big tip. Sumia's done for.

…

She's free after the lunch crowd packs up, and she changes back into her farm clothes. Loose dusty jeans, her riding boots, and a plaid long-sleeved shirt. She's feeling leagues better than she did this morning, so she ties her hair into braided pigtails and plops on her favorite slightly stupid looking cowboy hat.

The barn's pretty empty when Sumia arrives. Phila must've let everyone out so they wouldn't bother the farrier. Aurora, Cordelia's gentle thoroughbred, is already tied up in the hallway of the barn. It'd be a pain for the farrier to chase down horses in the pasture, not to mention how easily they could run away if they got spooked, so the patients get to be tied up inside for their appointments.

Out of respect for the farrier, Sumia decides to muck the pastures first instead of the stalls. Any farrier worth their salt should already be immune to the smell of horses, but that doesn't mean they want a wheelbarrow full of manure right under their nose.

She heads out, humming a jaunty tune. Bel just so happens to be in the first pasture, and she trots up to greet her, neighing all the way. Sumia smiles and caresses her briefly, but work comes first. If she hurries, she can finish early enough to take Bel for a walk around the trails. She probably shouldn't ride her right after she gets her new shoes put on, but a nice walk in the crisp fall air should be fine.

None of the horses in the other pastures are as happy to see her as Bel, but she still makes sure to give them all a good pat as she goes. If she had more time, she'd be out here with them all day, every day. For now, she's just glad she remembers their names.

After taking as long as she dares with the pastures, she dumps the manure into its pit and heads inside the barn through the doors opposite where the farrier is set up. They're bent over a hoof, not facing her, decked out in overalls with a thick farrier's apron tied around their waist. Sumia forces herself to mind her business, though this farrier seems to have a different build than the last one she remembers seeing.

She's sweaty and smells worse than the horses when she finishes. Cursed stagnant barn air. She parks the empty wheelbarrow back outside the barn and leans against it with a sigh, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm. The sun isn't quite set, and she has an hour before her animal science class starts. She could head home and take an extra luxurious shower before grabbing dinner…. Or she could walk Bel and take an extremely quick shower before grabbing an extremely quick dinner. It isn't even a contest.

She heads down to Bel's pasture and gently lifts up a front hoof to inspect the new shoes. The work is impeccable, each nail in the right place and the shoe itself shaped perfectly.

"That one yours?" It's a familiar voice, but she can't place it. She looks up to see the farrier, sporting a shock of red hair.

"Sully!" she blurts. The farrier furrows her brows. Yup, that's Sully.

"Do I know you?" Sumia takes off her hat and tugs at one of her pigtails.

"I waited at your table this morning at the diner. Couldn't come down here with my hair like that, though." Sully's eyes light up with recognition.

"I never did catch your name," she says slyly, leaning on the fence separating the two of them. Sumia holds out a hand with a smile.

"Sumia." Sully shakes it. Her hands are calloused and warm. Definitely a farrier.

"I hope Belfire was good for you." She offers. Said horse neighs, aware of her name being said. Sully waves a hand dismissively.

"Like a dream. She's got a beautiful coat on her, too." Sumia can't help but beam at the praise.

"Don't compliment her too much. Her ego's big enough already." Sully chuckles, running her eyes over the horse.

"She definitely looks like one of them stuck up kinds." Bel whinnies in protest. Sully's awfully tall, so Sumia steps onto the bottom rail of the fence to even things out. It's still not enough. Maybe Sumia's just short. Sully looks amused, still easily looking down on her.

"Is this your first time in town?" She can't keep the hopeful edge from her voice. If the stars are in her favor, it'll be her first but not her last. Sully nods.

"First day on the new job. I just finished moving in yesterday." It seems odd for a farrier to just up and move to a nowhere place like this, but Sumia's heard rumors that Olympians like to keep their leisure and hunt horses at estates not thirty minutes down the road from this place. Phila used to be one, and never actively denied the rumors, so there must be more truth to them than she thought.

"Do you have any horses of your own?" A very important question if she wants a future with Sully. Sully's face brightens like a thousand watt bulb.

"I sure do. His name's Cain. Buckskin quarter horse, only a couple years old." Sumia whistles appreciatively.

"Where're you keeping him?" Sully looks a little self-conscious.

"My own place, actually. He's been with my family since birth, and the whole lot of use are blacksmiths, so the noise from the forge shouldn't bother him a bit." It's all Sumia could ever want in a girlfriend. But, she reminds herself firmly, she's getting ahead of herself.

"Are they from anywhere near here?" Sully shakes her head.

"Two states over."

"Oh, wow. It must be awfully lonely being up here along so suddenly." Sully shrugs a little, gaze sliding sideways.

"Well, I've already met one friendly townsfolk."

"I'm glad I managed to make a good impression. I was a bit worried after almost spilling coffee on you, and all that." She laughs awkwardly. Sully's gaze turns back to Sumia, mouth quirking up at the corner.

"Actually, I was talking about Phila. Two then, if we count you." Sumia pouts a little and resists the urge to shove at Sully.

"Well, I was going to offer to show you around," she sighs dramatically. "But I suppose if my help isn't wanted…."

"I said we can count you!" Sumia drops the act with a giggle.

"I know a trail that passes through a field with the most beautiful wildflowers you've ever seen. We should ride out there sometime."

"I'd love to, but I am a little swamped with work this first week. But we could do dinner. Uh, should do dinner." Sully's face is beginning to match her hair. Sumia hides a smile as she pulls out her phone.

"My schedule's a bit wonky, but I'd love to. There's plenty of local little places around here." Sully goes to take her phone, but pauses, face going even redder.

"Just so we're clear, I mean as like, a date." A brief pause. "I like girls." Sumia can't help but laugh at her.

"I do too," she says shyly, looking up at Sully with bright eyes. Sully clears her throat awkwardly as she takes Sumia's phone and types in her number.

"That's, that's great. I'm usually a lot slicker than this, just so you know."

"I believe you," placates Sumia. She doesn't. Bel, getting impatient for her promised walk, noses at her back, almost sending her teetering off the fence.

"Ah, well, duty calls." She kind of wants to ask Sully to come with them, but she is still on a tight schedule. She should limit distractions, especially ones as hot as Sully.

"I'll see you around, then?" Sumia nods, hopping off the fence and saying her goodbyes before heading out the pasture gates and toward the cross-country trails.

She waits until she's a good distance into the woods before she pauses, squealing and jumping with joy, just a little bit. She plucks a flower from the side of the trail and picks the petals off, one by one. Even the flowers agree.

For the first time in a while, she's actually looking forward to tomorrow.


End file.
